In the interview, Amato shed more light on the structure of AMD's upcoming Fusion processors. A misconception that Amato noted is that Fusion processors will not only be available in single-chip flavors, but also multi-chip formats. Two Fusion processors linked together would allow for parallel GPUs. He said that AMD has still not solidified the future plans of Fusion yet, but indicated it would be very likely to see a Fusion processor with a GPU and CPU connected through a CrossFire-like interface -- and have a total TDP of less than 120 Watts.

Amato also praised the flexibility of the Fusion processor in the interview and told Hardware Upgrade that it will allow AMD to "integrate a specific number of GPU and CPU cores depending on the customer and the uses for which they will use the chip."

"AMD isn't just a microprocessor company anymore", he stated. After the acquisition of ATI, "AMD changed from a processor company to a platform company." This is where Fusion ties in. Its high grade of flexibility will combine GPUs and CPUs into one product. Amato believes that Fusion platforms will be able to specifically match the needs of its customers.

AMD's Fusion processors will also be closely tied to GPGPU. Using a GPGPU platform based on Fusion, AMD will be able to offer HPC systems that can do all kinds of work. Code that is more suited for CPUs will be executed on the CPU part of the Fusion processor, while code more efficiently run on a GPGPU will be run on the GPU portion of the processor. To sum it up, AMD's Fusion processors will be able to do a variety of work, allowing them to better meet the needs of AMD's customers.

Amato also dispelled rumors that AMD will be going completely fabless. He blames the source of the rumor as a misinterpretation of a speech Hector Ruiz gave. However, AMD plans to stick to a fab-less manufacturing model for GPU and chipset products.

Don't know why you'd say that here. While the statement has merit, all he is doing here is dispelling rumors, not creating them.

I won't argue that marketing has never spread rumors. But this doesn't seem to be the case here; especially when he's talking theory & r&d at this point. Not promising anything like release dates or benchmarks. Everything that he's saying is entirely plausible and there's no reason as of yet to think it's all hot air. Don't forget how much money AMD sunk into this.

Eh, the only rumor I see being dispelled here is that of AMD going fabless. In which case he states what most that follow such things already guessed - AMD's going to continue outsourcing the fabrication of graphics chips and chipsets.

As to the rest of the article, eh, AMD marketing promises/statements to generate interest in their 'products' that are under development. One of my favorite quotes from the article, "We prefer not to spread information on operating clock speeds and performance as of right now..."

quote: Don't know why you'd say that here. While the statement has merit, all he is doing here is dispelling rumors, not creating them.

You should never believe the "official" word of a company. They have no incentive to tell the truth.

Remember a week before the PS3 price cuts? Sony's official position was that there were "no plans" to cut the price of the PS3. Yet a week later the price was dropped. Things like price changes take time for a company to approve and inform their distributors, so there's no way that Sony didn't have plans when their exec made that statement. They were busy working on the price drop and their exec knew it, yet he still lied through his teeth.

Give them a little slack. "Lie" is pretty tough language. Businesses and their exec's are on a leash of a certain length about what information can be disclosed, how it can be disclosed and when, for legal and ethical reasons probably as it relates to the owners(investors). Being careles about spilling the beans could lead someone to jail and if it weren't this way there'd be nothing illegal about leaking information to hedge fund guys before issueing a proper press release. Perhaps the exec in question could've phrased it better, but saying he lied is.. a little stronger of language then I'd use.

If you look at Sony's (or Microsoft, or anynone else for that matter) press releases reguarding price cuts/product announcements, etc. they all go somethink like this.

"We have no plans on announcing a price cut at this time"

It's a carefully crafted factual statement. So, technically no lie. Sony didn't plan on "announcing" the price cut "at this time". They very well may have been planning the actual price cut for several months.

Microsoft has no plans to "announce" a new xbox product "at this time". We all know they have 65nm redesign in the works.

Try it, I think you'll like it.

"I have no plans to announce to my wife that I'm sleeping with her sister."

"It's a carefully crafted factual statement. So, technically no lie. Sony didn't plan on "announcing" the price cut "at this time". They very well may have been planning the actual price cut for several months."

That still doesn't argue why I should give this AMD guy any credibility. I don't care if it's not technically a lie, it's still a reason why no one should pay attention to them.

quote: You should never believe the "official" word of a company. They have no incentive to tell the truth.

Incentive, No, no real incentive. However as a publically traded company there are Severe Penalties for Lying to the investors in the form of official press releases.

Forward looking statments are given room for error (such as release dates being off for unforseeable reasons, clock speeds not meeting the benchmarks due to poorer than expected yields on initial batches. So long as the stated goal of releasing the product or eventually meeting the goal happens, no problem. Investor confidence may suffer a bit, for such grandiose statments, but not the core of investors. They realize you can't get rich all at once, you get rich alittle bit at a time.

How much you do you hate your dad if he says "we'll go to the circus", but doesn't? What if he has to postpone it a weekend or two because of surgery or work interferes?

How spoiled are you if you can't be alittle bit flexible for something you haven't even paid for yet?

I don't think it matters, corporate mouthpieces are not going to give out useful pieces of information. I don't care if they aren't technically lies, carefully crafted "tidbits" that are intended to give the opposite impression of what it's really saying is quite snake-like. I hope they don't wonder why people don't trust corporate PR when they do this.